US urges China to help for keeping Strait of Hormuz open

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to help stop Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a critical trade route, with almost a quarter of the world's oil and gas passing through it.

Rubio's comments followed reports on Iranian state TV that the country's parliament had approved a measure to close the narrow waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, reports BBC.

"I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Strait of Hormuz for their oil," said Rubio on Fox News.

"If they do that, it will be another terrible mistake. It's economic suicide for them if they do it."

Any disruption to supply would have profound consequences for the global economy, sending oil prices higher with major importers, like China, India and Japan hard hit.

Analysts say the authority to close the Strait lies with regime security officials rather than parliament, and because Iran also depends on transit through the Strait for its own exports and economy, it would be a particularly risky retaliatory move.